Infinite Stratos: The Tale of Luca Santi, Male Pilot
by dicarten-ice
Summary: Hey there, my name's Luca Santi, but you can just call me Luke. Now, what was I about to do? Oh, right, I was gonna tell you about my story as the second male pilot of an IS. Since it won't fit in this tiny box, though, could you just open this story and read more? Thanks!
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - The Beginning**

Hello, and thank you for reading this story, my story. In case you didn't know, my name's Luca Santi. In case you couldn't tell by the name, I'm Italian. Before I get into the main story, though, I'll explain who I am and how I got to be a pilot.

I was born in a small town in Southern Italy to two loving parents. My father was in the military, but my mother didn't want us to be moving all over, so we stayed at our small house. However, three years before the Infinite Stratos was introduced, my dad was killed by an extremist group out in the Middle East, and soon after my mother got gravely ill. It hasn't killed her, but she has been unable to leave our small house since the day of his funeral. I spent the next several years learning to take care of my mother, go to school, and still learn martial arts.

Oh, yeah, I should explain that. You see, I'm the world martial arts champion, and have been for the past five years. I first picked it up to protect myself from bullies, but it soon grew into a passion as I entered larger and larger contests. I began using federal aid to hire nurses to look after my mother while I worked on my martial arts. About a year before this story starts, though, a major change happened to me.

I found an IS suit.

It was completely abandoned and in very rough shape about a mile from my house, but I dragged it to a warehouse across the street from our house. Dad bought it before he died, planning on starting a business out of it after he left the military, but I currently use it for training.

Anyway, I quickly figured out how an IS works, and reverse engineered my own Core, but made it even more efficient. I was able to figure this out because I have one of the highest IQs in the world, around 200, although I'm pretty sure that the last time it was checked, it was 215. By using the fullest extent of my mind, I used the parts and programming of the IS to make my own parts. I also discovered another technique to strengthen the armor, but I'm not revealing how, trade secret.

Overall, it took me about three months to assemble the new IS. It normally wouldn't take so long for someone to assemble an IS, but I did plenty of research, including...um...hacking various countries to get the specs for each advanced model. I improved upon them all, including Houki Shinonono's 4th-generation model. I made several improvements on their abilities, and spent another month afterwards understanding the programming. I managed to reprogram the entire thing, and in doing so, discovered a single line of code that everyone but the creator of the Byakushiki forgot. It would be very easy to miss, so I wouldn't blame anybody for it, except that it's the code that allows men to pilot an IS. The only copies I know of are in my IS and in the Byakushiki.

Anyway, once I finished everything, I spent another three months training myself, mainly basic movements and flight, although I found videos explaining how to do martial arts in an IS, which I quickly memorized so that I wouldn't have to change my fighting style.

When I finally revealed it to the press, I shocked the world.

"Mom, could you turn the television to the news station in about an hour?" I asked Mom the morning of the release. "There's going to be a special on that I think you'd like."

She smiled and nodded before I fed her the medicine she's supposed to take. "Thank you, that's very considerate of you," she replied. "Where are you going, though?" she added as I turned toward the door.

I smiled as I turned back toward her. "I'm just going on a quick trip to the city for a few errands," I told her, even though the closest city's about an hour away by car.

She lowered her eyebrows in thought, but nodded as I walked out.

The moment the door was closed behind me, I took off at a sprint to the far side of the warehouse, where Mom wouldn't see my IS right away. When I reached the spot, I held out a black bracelet with a silver anchor (a tribute to the Mediterranean Sea, only a stone's throw from my house) dangling from it, my method of summoning my IS, which I named Falco Argento, or Silver Falcon for those of you that don't speak Italian.

"Come to me, Falcon Argento!" I commanded, holding out my arm. Bright light engulfed me as Falco Argento materialized around me. It was so advanced, though, that it only appeared as the main suit, which looks like any other, but is black with silver running through it.

'Wings,' I thought to myself, envisioning the wings. There was a second of silence before a set of wings appeared, similar to a falcon's but silver, hence the name. 'Time to have some fun,' I thought to myself as my helmet, which formed around my glasses, planned out the route to the nearest city. This was only three days after the last competition, so people would easily recognize me.

As I flew to the city, I maintained a high altitude to avoid excess attention from the ground, and I tested my full flying abilities, doing numerous flips, somersaults, and corkscrews in midair as I went. It greatly lengthened my flight time from twenty minutes to forty because of various detours I took to evade aerospace patrols and all the tricks I pulled out. When I finally arrived at the city, though, there were three IS's waiting for me.

"Huh, that was quick," I muttered to myself as I stopped in front of them.

"Reveal your identity, pilot," one of the pilots told me.

I checked the time. Perfect, five minutes before Mom turned on the television. I looked around, and saw that the news station that Mom would most likely turn to was there, as well as the rest that we have available.

"This is your last warning," the pilots told me. "Reveal your face!"

I chuckled. "No need to shout," I stated before I retracted my helmet, returning it to its form as my glasses.

"Wha-it's a guy!" one of them screamed when she saw me.

"To be precise, that is Luca Santi, martial arts world champion," another of them commented. "How could he pilot an IS, though?"

I grinned. "I'm just that awesome," I stated before I landed in front of several news stations, any of which I knew Mom would be watching.

"Mr. Santi, is this really you?" one of the reporters asked me. "Are you able to pilot an IS?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, I can pilot an IS," I replied.

"How is this possible?" another asked me.

I chuckled. "I'll just say that I discovered the secret to a male IS pilot, although I will not disclose that secret to anybody," I replied, dismissing the wings.

Their eyes widened. "Who made this IS for you?" they asked me. "Was it Ms. Tabane Shinonono?"

I shook my head. "I did," I told them. "I made this IS, core and all, by reverse engineering an IS that had been abandoned by my house. Ms. Tabane Shinonono is no longer the only one able to produce a core anymore."

They proceeded to ask me more and more questions, but I made sure only to answer certain ones that wouldn't give away any secrets.

"What do you think this means for the future of IS pilots?" they asked me.

I shrugged. "Well, I guess that it will open opportunities for future men," I replied.

I stayed there to answer questions for twenty more minutes before I reactivated my wings. "Well, I should be getting home," I told them before I flew away at top speed. Fortunately, I haven't given them the chance to figure out where I live yet, so I flew home at top speed, arriving in under twenty minutes.

When I landed outside my house, Mom was standing outside.

"Mom!" I shouted, dismissing Falco and rushing to her side. "You should be inside!"

She smiled and nodded. "You really surprised me there, Luca," she told me. "I never knew that you were creating your own IS in the warehouse," she stated.

I smiled and shrugged as I helped her go inside. "It was a nice challenge, and I figured I might as well test myself," I explained as I helped her sit down in her chair. "Are you mad that I kept this from you?" I asked her.

She shook her head and held my hand between both of her own. "Luca, I am very proud of you," she told me. "No one has ever done as much as you have. You are the best son a mother could have."

I smiled as I filled with joy. "Thanks, Mom," I replied. "To be honest, though, I also did it so that I could do more with my life than just martial arts."

She smiled and nodded. "I figured that much myself," she told me.

The rest of the day was fairly calm, with me spending the rest of the day calibrating Falco better. He leaned a bit to the left while we flew, so I made a few adjustments, staying up late into the night before I went to bed.

The next day, though, the government found me.

I had just woken up and was making myself a cup of coffee to dispel any drowsiness left in my system when two large, black SUVs pulled up to the house.

"What the...?" I whispered to myself. I hadn't expected the government to arrive so quickly, but I was proven wrong as six men in black suits and wielding large guns accompanied a tall woman with long black hair and sunglasses to the door, which she knocked on.

"Who's here?" Mom asked from her chair.

"People from the government," I replied, cracking the front door slightly, sticking my foot behind it to prevent it from being opened further. "Hello? How may I help you?" I asked me.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello, all. I found this story hidden away a few weeks ago and, after reading it, decided to give it an ending and post it up here on . Please, let me know what you think in a review/PM, and please no hate.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - The Government**

She removed the sunglasses, examining me with bright blue eyes. "You are Luca Santi, correct?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah. Who are you and what does the government want?" I asked her.

She raised an eyebrow. "May we come in to discuss it?" she asked me.

I hesitated for a few seconds, activating Falco's security systems in case anybody tried to approach it, then I opened the door, allowing them to flood into the house.

"To be honest, I'm surprised you came here this early," I told them as we sat in the dining room, sitting at opposite ends of the table.

She nodded. "We decided to talk to you now before anybody else could," she told me. "My name is Elena Costa, and I represent Italy's IS program."

I nodded. "Nice to meet you, name's Luca Santi, as you already know," I replied.

She handed me a folder. "We would like to make you Italy's Representative Contender," she told me as I read through the folder. "If you agree to this, we will send you to the IS Academy for no extra cost to you, and we will pay for somebody to take care of your mother and for her to get the best treatments possible. We have made arrangements so that, if you agree, you will be placed in Class 1, the same as Ichika Orimura."

I nodded and continued to read through the folder. It covered things like the IS Academy, the benefits Italy will give me and my mother, such as personal vehicles and a very high salary.

"So, have you come to a decision?" she asked me.

I held up a finger. "I'll have to discuss this with my mother," I told her before I walked out.

"I heard the entire conversation," Mom said before I could say a single word to her.

I nodded and placed a hand on hers. "What do you think I should do?" I asked her.

She smiled. "You should take this chance," she replied. "You'll get to learn new things, and you needn't worry about me," she added. "I will be well looked after."

I sighed and nodded, hugging her lightly. "Thank you," I told her before I returned to the dining room. "I'll do it," I told Elena.

She smiled and nodded before pulling up some online files. "I'll just need you to fill out some paperwork," she told me.

I nodded and copied the file she had, pulling them up on my glasses. They were directly connected to Falco's computing systems, which allows me to fill them out with only my mind before I sent them back to her computer. "There you go, all filled out," I told her. "So, what now?"

She picked up her tablet. "We will need you to leave right away," she told me. "You will need your uniform fit to you, and you have half a year's work to catch up on in a single day before you are sent to the IS Academy."

I nodded hesitantly. "Okay, I will just need a few minutes to get my things together," I told her.

She nodded before I walked out. I first went to my room, where I threw a couple days' worth of clothes and my computer, some books, and some tools for Falco.

"Are you going already?" Mom asked me as I approached her a few minutes later.

I nodded. "Yeah, sorry," I replied.

She smiled. "Don't worry about me," she told me. "Just make sure to have fun and study hard."

I nodded and hugged her again before I took one last look around the house, then walked out.

"Are you ready to go?" Elena asked me from her car.

I nodded, lifting my bag over my shoulder as I walked to the backseat of the car, placing my bag in the back area before I buckled myself in.

"Our first stop will be to get your uniform fit," she told me as the driver started the car. "Our designers will have several different designs for you to pick from."

I nodded and got comfortable for the long ride to wherever we were going. About ten minutes in, though, Elena realized something.

"Where is your IS?" she asked me.

I chuckled and held out my bracelet. "It is currently flying above us," I replied, pulling up a live video feed from it as a virtual keyboard appeared in front of me. I made a few adjustments to its flight so that it would duck down low enough for us to see it before it returned to its position above us.

"You did all of this?" she asked me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Of course, I'm a genius," I replied.

She narrowed her eyes in confusion for a second before she remembered a file she found. "Oh, right, 215," she muttered before turning so that she was looking forward again.

The ride took a total of two hours, taking us up the coast to a facility built into a large cliff.

"Impressive," I commented as we stopped at the base of the cliff, where there was a very large elevator, large enough to fit three IS's walking abreast.

"We're going down three floors," she told me as we approached the elevator.

I nodded and brought Falco to a metal slab, where it would be brought to the hangar to stay until we flew to the Academy.

"So, how many minds did I blow yesterday?" I asked Elena on our way down.

Her face didn't change. "Many people were surprised by your appearance," she stated before the doors opened, revealing racks upon racks of clothing and styling products.

"Ah, there you are!" a woman with waist-length white hair said when she saw us. "I'll be your designer!" she told me.

I nodded. "Nice to meet you," I replied, trying to be polite.

She nodded absentmindedly, pulling over a rack. "Please, select a design that fits your taste," she told me, gesturing to the rack of uniforms.

I nodded and began looking at them all. Some of them had long sleeves, some had short sleeves, and a few even had none.

After examining the rack for a few minutes, I grabbed two of them. One of them had a sleeveless jacket with a green undershirt, and the other was a long-sleeved blazer with a black undershirt that had silver edging. I took the black shirt and removed the green one, holding the black shirt with the sleeveless jacket. "This," I told her.

She raised an eyebrow at me questioningly, but nodded and pointed to a room set aside from the main area. "You can try them on in there," she told me.

I nodded and walked into the room, which had a bench and a mirror. I changed out of my own clothes and pulled on the standard white pants, which fit fairly well, the black and silver shirt, which was perfectly snug, and the jacket, which I left unzipped so that I didn't get too warm. When I walked back out of the room, the designer was practically drooling.

"Um, are you okay?" I asked her as she looked at me.

She shook her head slightly, clearing her mind. "Yeah, come over here," she said, pointing to several mirrors. I walked over to them and stood in front of them. The shirt actually fit very well, outlining my muscular chest and abdomen, and the jacket was a good contrast.

She spent the next thirty or so minutes making small adjustments to the clothing so that, while they fit me perfectly, I'd have some room to grow.

"Not bad, not bad at all," the designer told me at the end. "Now, I just need you to change into your other clothes so that I can use this uniform to create extras," she explained to me.

I nodded. "Sure," I replied before I went to the changing room to put on my old clothes. When I left the room I handed the uniform to the designer, and we took the elevator down several more levels, to what looked like a large library. There was a table set aside from the rest, and it was loaded with books.

"This is all the information you need to learn by the time you leave in twelve hours," Elena told me.

My jaw dropped. "That's, like, a ton of books! Literally!" I told her.

She nodded. "Well then, I suggest you start reading," she replied before walking out.

I made sure she was gone for a couple minutes before I ran to the table happily, welcoming the challenge and the chance to try a new feature I created with Falco: Mental Download.

"Let's try this out," I muttered to myself as I looked at the first page of the book. I blinked, and my glasses took a picture of the book. It searched the Internet for the book, and when the computer found it, downloaded the entire contents into Falco's memory, which then proceeded to download the entire contents into my own head.

"AAH!" I groaned as I felt the strain it put on my brain. It felt like a slight headache, but I pushed through it as the knowledge raced through my head. This feature could completely change learning as we know it today.

As I managed to push through the knowledge, I grabbed the next book and did the same. I don't know how, but I was able to get through the pain and endure it as I went from one book to the next. The entire process for each book took about ten minutes. One minute was to download it all, and the other nine were to recover from the process.

"If this doesn't end up killing me, I'll become rich from this idea," I groaned to myself after I downloaded the final book, two hours later. There actually weren't very many books, I was just trying to get pity from Elena earlier.

I spent the next hour recovering from the process and going through the new knowledge I had acquired, which covered numerous sciences, history, math, and IS concepts.

"How're you doing in here?" Elena asked a few minutes later as she walked in, only to find me resting my head on the table, the books back in their places.

"Books suck," I groaned.

She ran to my side. "What did you do to yourself?" she asked me.

"Mental Downloading, and a lot of it," I told her.

She froze. "T-That's only a concept!" she told me. "Our engineers haven't figured it out yet!"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Well, if they figure it out, beware. It hurts your brain," I muttered before lowering my head. I fell asleep after that to recover from the process.

"Mr. Santi, you need to wake up," a voice told me a few hours later, although it felt like seconds to me.

I lifted my head off of the table. "What?" I muttered.

The person bowed his head slightly. "I was sent to wake you up," he told me. "You slept for eight hours, and your flight leaves in thirty minutes," he added.

I nodded, jumping up. "Okay, I'm okay," I said, following him to the surface, where I was driven to a nearby airstrip.

"Would you prefer to fly yourself or go by jet?" Elena asked me when she saw me. She had been talking to somebody with a clipboard when I arrived.

"I'll fly myself," I told her, "but I might need some help when I arrive, though," I added.

She nodded. "I'll fly beside you, then," she replied, revealing a red pendant on her necklace.

"You're a pilot?" I asked her, surprised.

She nodded. "Let's go," she said.

I nodded, raising my bracelet. "Falco Argento!" I called out, making the IS materialize around my body.

Elena raised an eyebrow at the minimal design. "That's a very small IS you've got there," she told me.

I glared at her, creating my wings. "Where's _your_ IS?" I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes and summoned her IS, a basic third-gen mass produced model. "Let's go," she said. I nodded and formed a compartment around my suitcase, which I attached to my back before I took off.

"I thought your IS was supposed to be advanced!" Elena shouted as she passed me.

I narrowed my eyes as my helmet formed to help keep the wind out of my eyes. 'Let's see how fast she can go,' I thought to myself. Falco picked up on my thoughts, increasing my speed so that I flew by her. She tried to keep up with me, but my Falco Argento was too fast for her, so I slowed down enough for her to catch up.

"Not bad for a newbie," Elena commented.

I rolled my eyes but remained silent, instead playing music through my helmet to keep me from getting too bored. Our path was a fairly straight shot to the Academy, so we wouldn't be doing anything major.

"Approaching Infinite Stratos Academy," Falco's mechanical voice said in my ear.

"Thanks," I replied, stopping my music as we slowed down so that I could get my first look at the IS Academy. "It's amazing," I whispered. The total flight took two hours, but due to time zone differences, I only had thirty minutes before my first class started.

"Your room number is 1025," Elena told me as I dismissed Falco, dragging my suitcase behind me. "There you will meet Ichika Orimura, who will be your roommate. He will help you to your classes, as your schedules are identical."

I nodded. "Thanks!" I shouted over the sound of her IS as she flew away.

Once she was gone, I lifted my suitcase into my arms and started running toward the proper building, up the stairs, and to room 1025. I passed numerous girls, causing rumors to begin before my class.

When I arrived at the door, I stopped to catch my breath, then knocked on the door. "Hello? Anyone here?" I called.

"Give me a minute!" Ichika Orimura called. There were a few seconds of hesitation before the door opened, revealing Ichika Orimura.

I smiled and held out my hand. "Hey there, name's Luca Santi, and I'm your roommate," I told him before he could say anything.

He froze, eyes wide. "What? You...guy...pilot?" he whispered as he shook my hand.

I nodded. "Sì, that's me," I replied. "I just got here after a long travel, so can I come in and rest before classes begin?" I asked him.

He nodded slowly, moving aside. "Sure, come on in," he told me.

"Thanks," I replied, carrying my bag in and placing it on the bed that he didn't appear to be using. "Sorry about all the confusion," I added as I changed into my uniform as quickly as possible. "You can just call me 'Luke', by the way."

He nodded. "Sure. I'm Ichika, Ichika Orimura," he told me. "So, where are you from?"

"Southern Italy," I replied. "I was actually chosen to be Italy's Representative Contender."

He nodded, then noticed the time. "Oh, crap! We need to get to class!" he told me, grabbing my arm as I began to zip up my jacket, leaving it open.

"No need to drag me," I told him, running to keep pace as we ran to the classroom.

"Ichika, you cut it close today," Ms. Orimura, our teacher, told him before she saw me. "Class, we have a new transfer today," she told the class, gesturing for me to walk in. "Class, this is Luca Santi, the Representative Contender from Italy."

I hesitantly raised my hand. "Um, ciao?" I said.

"ANOTHER GUY?" all the girls screamed in disbelief.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello again. I'll start by submitting two chapters to get things rolling, but will slow down over time. Until next time, ciao!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Another Guy

I chuckled. "Sì, I'm a male pilot," I told them.

"You can sit in the empty desk beside Ichika," Ms. Orimura told me.

I bowed to her. "Thank you, Ms. Orimura," I replied before I sat in my seat.

"So, you claim to be a pilot?" a British voice said from behind me.

I turned in my seat and looked at a girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes. "Yeah, that's me, Luca Santi," I told her.

"Yeah, and he's also the world martial arts champion five years in a row," another voice called from the back of the room.

The British girl raised an eyebrow. "Not bad," she told me. "I am Cecilia Elcott, the Representative Contender from the U.K., Luca Santi."

I smiled and shook her hand. "Nice to me you, and you can just call me 'Luke'," I told her and the rest of the class, creating a collective sigh from all but four girls: Cecilia, Houki Shinonono, Laura Bodewig, and Charlotte Dunois. I had read all of their profiles as some of the few students with a personal IS. Those four seemed to only concentrate on Ichika.

"Now, class, let's get to the topic at hand," Ms. Orimura told us, causing us to turn toward her as she began the lesson.

As she talked about the daily lesson, I made sure that the computer in my glasses recorded all of my mental notes on the lesson, reducing the need for note-taking. I actually don't need the glasses for anything, but I use them for the computer.

The lesson, beginning to end, took four hours, ending at noon for lunch.

"Hey, Ichika?" I asked Ichika as we all flooded out. "Can you show me where the cafeteria is?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Sure!" he replied cheerily as the four girls and Lingyin Huang from Class Two followed Ichika and me, mainly Ichika, to the cafeteria, where Ichika and I got trays of food, and the girls all made their food.

"Ichika, would you like to try my Sweet & Sour Pork?" Lingyin, a.k.a. Rin, asked Ichika.

"Sure, I love your Sweet and Sour Pork!" he replied, picking out a piece. The rest of the girls then tried to get him to try their food, leading to a large argument as I stayed on the edge, well away from any confrontation.

"So, Luke, do you have an IS of your own?" Ichika asked me a few minutes later.

I looked over to him, surprised by the question, then nodded. "Sì," I replied.

He smiled. "What generation is it?" he asked me.

I grinned cockily. "Falco Argento is a fifth-generation IS, a piece of perfection," I stated.

Their jaws dropped. "Are you messing with us or something?" Rin demanded. "The most advanced one is a fourth-gen, and it's Houki's Akatsubaki."

I nodded. "I know, but I'm a genius," I stated. "I found information on the most advanced IS's out there, and improved on them. It wasn't that hard. After all, I have a mind that rivals Tabane Shinonono's. I examined the contents of the core and duplicated it. I identified any and all problems that could be fixed, and improved on the designs. My IS also has a Quantum Materializer, able to summon any equipment it needs in the blink of an eye, from weapons to armor to flight tech. By doing this, I can also redesign the Falco easily and only use what I need to increase my mobility."

"How'd you get all the specs from the IS's, though?" Laura demanded. "Only a select group can access Germany's records."

I clenched my jaw. "Trade secret, sorry," I stated. I hadn't realized how much I had told them that I shouldn't have.

They glared at me for a few seconds until I stood up, having finished my food, and took care of my tray. "So, where's our next class?" I asked them.

Ichika stood up. "It's combat practice, I'll show you," he told me once he took care of his food.

When we left the cafeteria, we stopped first at our room so that I could get my practice clothes, then we went to a changing area, where I changed into my practice clothes, which consisted of black shirt and shorts with silver around the edges.

"So, what usually happens in this class?" I asked Ichika as we walked out into the arena.

"We usually just discuss the basics of battle and stuff like that," he explained as we became surrounded by twenty plus girls.

"Hey, Luca, do you want me to show you how to pilot an IS?" several of the girls asked me. "You look pretty good in that uniform," many more people said before the teacher blew her whistle.

"Today, we're going to learn about basic flight," the teacher told us before she saw me. "Luca, would you like to sit this out until you figure out the basics?" she asked me.

I shook my head. "You can just call me Luke, and I'm good with participating," I replied, recalling my practice and flying to the Academy.

She nodded and gestured to five of the Academy's IS's. "You will all take turns learning to fly these IS's. Those of you with Personal IS's will assist them," she told us. "Luke, this is up to you if you want to assist or be taught," she added to me.

I nodded as I held out my bracelet. "Come to me, Falco Argento!" I commanded.

"It's...nice," Ichika commented once Falco was in its released form, although it was just the suit.

I chuckled as the wings materialized. "I don't like the extra crap getting in the way, so it just appears when I need it," I explained as the light reflected off the wings, refracting the light around me.

He stayed silent but nodded as he, Laura, Houki, Cecilia, and Charlotte summoned their IS's.

"Hmm...I wonder which pilot is better, Luke or Ichika?" one of the girls asked but we ignored it as we helped girls climb into the IS's. I didn't really assist them, though, but watched as they assisted and provided help whenever necessary since there are six of us and five suits.

We managed to get through everyone in about an hour, so the teacher dismissed us, freeing us for the rest of the day.

"Hey, which one of you two is the better pilot?" a girl asked us before she left.

"Me," both Ichika and I said at the same time.

"Well, how about we have a little duel to figure it out?" Ichika suggested to me.

I grinned. "I'm in," I replied as the girls deactivated their IS's and ran to sit in the stands. I summoned a set of silver gauntlets to cover my fists. The knuckles were spiked, and constantly crackled with lightning.

"It seems that his IS is a close combat type," I heard Cecilia comment from the stands.

"It's too bad that the Byakushiki is also a close combat type, and has a sword," Charlotte added. "This will be an interesting fight."

Ichika smiled and summoned a sword to his hand. "Let's do this!" he screamed, diving at me.

I just chuckled and let him closer...

Closer...

And stepped aside as he got too close to change direction, driving my fist into his back, making him hit the ground. Hard.

"Ichika!" Houki screamed.

"Looks like they're worried about you," I told him as he rose to his feet, although his systems seemed to be moving a bit slower.

"What did you do to me?" he demanded as energy cracked over his body.

I grinned. "These gauntlets are my preferred weapon," I explained. "As somebody said earlier, I'm the martial arts world champion. I can't be beaten in close quarters. These gauntlets output enough energy that a single strike can slow your systems for a few seconds."

He frowned unhappily, but pushed himself to leap at me again and again. He managed to keep me from hitting him with the gauntlets, but I was still able to deal some serious blows through kicks. "Wow...you're good," he grunted.

I smiled. "Thanks, you're not half bad," I explained. "Unfortunately, I have the advantage of speed, strength, mobility, and I know everything about your IS."

He frowned before leaping at me again. "Ignition Boost!" he commanded, disappearing and reappearing behind me, aiming a kick toward my back.

"Not gonna work," I stated, spinning around in time to catch his foot, shocking him well enough to shut down his systems for a few seconds. I took the opportunity to spin him around a couple times before launching him into the air. I deployed my wings and shot up above him, putting my fists together and bringing them down on his IS, launching him to the ground.

"His speed is very impressive," Laura muttered. "To beat his Ignition Boost alone is worth praise."

I chuckled. "Thanks!" I shouted toward them as I materialized a bow in my hands, taking careful aim at Ichika as he struggled to get up. I formed a blue arrow and drew back the string, taking careful aim. "I win," I whispered, launching the arrow at him. It missed him by mere inches, though, so he jumped up toward me, his sword glowing this time.

"Mannaggia," I muttered in Italian, a sword appearing in my hands. Energy attacks wouldn't be very effective against him, but one more attack would deplete his shield energy completely. I blocked his attacks and we continued to attack each other. He had the upper hand in swordplay, though, so as we pushed our blades together, I materialized an automatic pistol in my hands and held down the trigger, emptying a hundred rounds into his shield, depleting the last of his energy to win me the match.

"You're not...half bad," Ichika commented.

"Thanks," I replied as I landed beside him, dismissing Falco's form. "I've gotta admit, though, that if I only had the sword, you would've crushed me," I admitted. "I usually just use my own body as a weapon."

He nodded and held out a hand. "Well, can you teach me how to fight like you do?" he asked me.

I nodded and shook his hand. "As long as you teach me how to fight with a sword, I'm in," I replied before Ichika's friends swarmed him.

"Ichika, dear, are you okay?" Cecilia asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "I just didn't expect him to be so good."

I smiled. "Thanks. I learned how to use normal martial arts in an IS suit a month or two ago," I explained. "I added the gun and bow for some long-range, and the sword is for dealing with those who also wield blades."

"It looks like you've got a pretty good weapons setup to cover any range," Cecilia told me.

"Thanks," I replied. "I've still got a few tricks up my sleeve, just in case things get hairy."

They just nodded before Ichika and I went to the changing room to change back into our normal clothes.

"So, what do you normally do after this?" I asked Ichika after we were finished.

He shrugged. "We usually just hang out together and train," he told me as we walked out.

I nodded and followed him to our room. All that we had to do was read a chapter in one of our textbooks, so as Ichika read it and answered a few assigned questions, I used a Mental Download to download the contents of the chapter into my head. It hurt slightly to download the information into my mind, but not as much as the entire book would've, so I answered the questions quickly and sent them digitally online like we were supposed to before opening a design on the computer in my glasses for an artillery package. If it were for a simple third generation I could just order it from a manufacturer, but because of the materialization method that Falco uses, I have to order the individual parts and almost completely redesign it to work with its systems.

"What're you doing?" Ichika asked me, noticing how there wasn't a normal screen in front of me.

"I've integrated Falco's computer into my nervous system, so I can control it with my mind," I explained. "I'm currently in the process of designing an artillery package."

He nodded, curious. "Okay...?" he replied. "How're you doing it, though?" he asked me.

I chuckled. "As I said, I integrated Falco's computer into my nervous system. This means that my brain basically functions as a computer. I can search the Internet, design things, and more without anybody else seeing me do it. I control it completely with my mind, so therefore, nobody can see the screens but me," I explained again before I closed the design and turned toward him. "So, are you done?" I asked him.

He nodded and closed his book, sending the assignment to be graded. "So, what do you want to do first?" he asked me. "Martial arts, or kendo?"

I shrugged. "Kendo wouldn't exactly be the right term," I replied. "You guys use wooden katanas to train in kendo, but I wield a spatha, a Roman blade."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Well, I highly doubt that they'd have a wooden...um...spatha, I think it's called...ready for us to use, so we'll have to use kendo swords," he told me before I walked to my bags and pulled out a miniaturized copy of Falco's sword, only wooden. "Okay, then, let's go!" he told me nervously. We walked out and went to a kendo practice area, where I was told to put on a lot of gear.

* * *

 **A/N: hello, everybody! Sorry I haven't been updating much, I've been busy with college and such**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Practice**

"Are you sure this is all necessary?" I asked him as I felt the burden of all the protective clothing and armor.

He nodded, standing across from me with a wooden katana in his hands. "Alright, the only way I know how to teach you would be in combat, so let's go!" he told me, swinging at my chest.

Five seconds later, he was on the floor, pinned by the tip of my sword.

"You know, you're not supposed to use martial arts to win," he told me. As he charged at me, I reacted. I was a bit slow, but I dived down and shot my legs out, tripping him while easily avoiding the attack. Before he could react, I had him pinned with my sword.

I nodded. "I know this, but I simply reacted on instinct," I explained, lifting my sword and helping him to his feet.

"You know, maybe you should get somebody else to teach you," Houki stated as she walked in. "I'm still teaching Ichika, you see, and he has a long way to go," she added. She was already geared up and was holding out her sword, so I nodded and charged at her. She moved to block my strike, so I used pure strength to push past her block and land a hit on her chest. It wouldn't have worked very well, though. A spatha is mainly for thrusting.

"Huh, you're not too bad," she muttered, stepping back. We spent a few seconds watching each other, waiting for somebody to strike, before she ran at me. She began to feint to the right, but I could tell by her body language that she was actually going to try to thrust at my chest when I was open after trying to block her feint, so I simply stepped a few feet to the right, grabbing the dull side of her blade and swinging at her neck, stopping it only an inch away.

"Your movements are too obvious," I told her.

Her eyes widened. "I thought you weren't very good at fighting with a sword," she stated out of disbelief.

I shrugged. "I'm not, I'm just really good at reading body language," I replied. "If an opponent can read your moves, the fight is already lost, no matter your skill."

She glared at me and attacked me over and over. The attacks were completely random, guided by anger, so I did my best to block them all before my instincts kicked in. I grabbed the dull side of her blade on a strike, placed a hand in the middle of her armor, and used her slight forward momentum to my advantage, throwing her over my shoulder and onto the ground.

"Houki!" Ichika shouted, running to her side as I removed my helmet in an attempt to cool myself down. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded and sat up. "That's probably the first time I've ever lost like that in a match," she told me.

I shrugged. "I would've been disqualified for using a technique other than kendo if this were a real match," I told her. "I just rely on my instincts too much in a fight, and they're hard-wired to martial arts."

She nodded and turned to Ichika. "It's no wonder you lost to him, then," she stated. "Your Yukihira Nigata is of no use in tight enough quarters in which martial arts can be used. That, combined with his skill with body language, makes him a force to be reckoned with."

I smiled. "Thanks for the compliment," I told them. "Now, Ichika, would you like your martial arts training to begin?" I asked him.

He nodded, so we changed out of our kendo gear and into our normal practice clothes.

"Um, shouldn't we be wearing some kind of padding?" he asked as we walked to a padded room for martial arts.

I shook my head. "I find pain to be a great motivator to do better," I told him. "Plus, we're just covering the basics."

He nodded and I taught him the basic stance for beginners, and how to throw punches, kicks, and throws from it.

"What style of martial arts do you use?" Ichika asked me.

I chuckled and listed off a long list of martial arts. "I use them all together, taking whichever stance or move I need from each one as the situation demands it," I explained. "Now, do that kick exactly the same for five minutes."

"What? Five minutes?" he demanded.

I nodded. "You should build up endurance for the longer fights. There is a theory out there that the IS's shield energy is directly proportional to your own stamina," I explained. "It's not been proven, and I'm not even sure if it's true or not, but there's a chance it is true, and it's always a good idea to be able to last through lengthy fights."

He sighed unhappily but nodded, repeating the kick for five straight minutes until his legs were about to give out. "Can I be done now?" he groaned. "I feel like I'm ready to collapse."

I sighed. "Sure, let's go," I told him, walking back to the changing room.

"So, is that how you call your IS?" Ichika asked me a few minutes later, noticing my bracelet.

I nodded. "Yeah, this is it," I replied, holding out the bracelet. "The anchor's a little tribute to back home. My family's house is a stone's throw away from the Mediterranean."

He smiled. "That's cool. What are your mom and dad like?" he asked me.

I froze as I pulled my shirt over my head before continuing. "My father died a year before the IS was introduced to the world," I said quietly. "He served in the Italian military, and was out in the Middle East. We were never told exactly what happened, only that he and his team were blown sky high by an improvised explosive device, or IED. Ever since then, my mom's been very sick, so I've had to take care of her while continuing with my studies and learning martial arts. I quickly saw martial arts as a way to get away from the world. I use it as a way to only focus on myself, the opponent, and nobody else."

He nodded. "I'm sorry you lost your father and your mother is sick," he stated.

I shrugged. "It's okay, there's no need for you to apologize," I assured him. "So, what's it like, going to school here every day?"

He sighed. "Confusing. My first week, I had no idea what I was doing, and to this day, I'm still confused by the girls' actions," he replied.

I chuckled and nodded. "Girls can be very confusing," I replied as we walked up to our room, where his friends were waiting for him.

"Don't forget, Ichika, you still have training with us," Rin told him, causing him to groan.

"Sorry, ladies, but he's a bit too tired from training with me," I told them all, causing all of their glares to turn to me. "How about this?" I said, anxious to stop the glares. "We alternate days. I teach Ichika martial arts every other day, and you have him every other day?" I proposed.

Their glares lessened as Charlotte stepped forward. "That...is an acceptable compromise," she told me before Cecilia charged forward.

"Ichika, dear, let's get some dinner!" she told him, causing him to look up from the floor.

"Um, sure?" he replied before they all walked off, determined to eat with Ichika.

"What is with these girls and Ichika?" I muttered before Ichika stopped and looked over his shoulder at me.

"Hey, Luca! You comin' with us or what?" he called toward me.

I froze, processing it, and nodded. "Sì, wait for me!" I called, jogging toward them on our way to the dining hall.

"So, is this what every day's like?" I asked them when we got our food and gathered at a large table.

Houki nodded. "Yeah, although we occasionally have a tournament or two thrown in there to spice things up, and the new transfers every couple weeks or so keep things interesting," she explained between bites of her fish.

I nodded and continued to eat my food. It wasn't as good as the stuff at home, but it was still pretty good.

Over the next few days, I began to get used to classes. Ichika and his group welcomed me in with open arms, and we soon became close friends, a new concept for me since I'd never had a friend before, let alone six. I continued training with Ichika every other day after classes, and watched him train with the rest of his friends.

"You know, if you were to move your left foot about a meter to the left, you'd have much less difficulty fending off their attacks," I told Ichika one day in the bathhouse after one of his training sessions with Rin, in which he got crushed.

He nodded and ran a hand through his wet hair. "Thanks. Some days, I just can't focus."

I nodded. "That's happened to me in the past, and it almost cost me everything," I replied.

He turned toward me. "Really? You don't seem like the kind of person to do that," he replied.

I nodded again. "Two years ago, at the martial arts world championship, I got a call from a doctor saying that my mother was in the hospital. I was right about to race there and forget about the entire championship when my mother took the phone," I explained. "She sounded very sick, but told me to just focus on winning the championship, and that she'd be watching over the television as they did the treatments. I just told her I would and went to the championship match, where I stepped into the ring. I couldn't focus on anything but what could be happening to my mom, and my opponent was right about to score the winning point when I remembered what she told me. To focus on the match. I jumped into action, dodging the last hit and scoring the points to win my fourth championship."

He nodded. "Wow, talk about pressure," he muttered. "It must've sucked to be in that situation."

I shrugged. "Ever since then, I always do my best to focus on the task at hand," I replied before I got out of the bath and dried off, changing into different clothes than previously and walking up to my rooms.

As the days continued to go by, I realized how lucky I was to have these friends, who so easily accepted me into their group. As a form of thanks, I planned and put together a meal for all of them. It was a day that Ichika was training with the girls, so I took the opportunity to bring out copies of recipes from home and find the right ones for a four-course meal. I planned it all out perfectly, from the first course to the last, and would have it set up on the roof of the dining hall, where I carried everything in hot dishes to keep them warm.

"Okay, what'd you need us up here for...?" Ichika began as he and the others walked up to the roof a few minutes later, when they saw the picnic blankets and dishes set out.

"Um, surprise?" I stated, turning toward them. "Since you guys have been so nice and accepting of me being here, I decided to cook dinner for you," I told them.

"Wait, you can cook?" Houki asked me. "We never knew that."

I shrugged. "After my mom got sick and I had to start taking care of her, I quickly had to teach myself how to cook," I explained before I motioned for them to sit down as I set out the appetizers. "This is all traditional Italian food, from my mother's own cookbook," I told them. They picked up their utensils and took a single bite, and their eyes widened from surprise.

"Whoa, this is amazing!" Ichika stated. "This has got to be the best food I've ever had!"

I smiled and nodded, ignoring some of the glares the girls gave me as I ate my own food. "Thanks, Ichika," I replied. When we all finished the appetizers, I stacked the dishes and passed out clean ones with the first course.

"Oui, I must admit that you are indeed a very good cook, Luca," Charlotte told me as she ate.

"She's right, you're pretty good," Houki added.

"Grazie, that means a lot coming from Representative Contenders like you," I told them, although I had to make sure to say it slow enough for them to understand it through my accent, something Elena reminded me of on my way here.

"No problem at all," Charlotte replied before we finished the first course and I swapped it out for the next course.

"Wow, I was wondering when the pizza would appear!" Ichika stated as I set out plates, each with personal Margherita Pizzas, again, my mother's recipe.

I chuckled. "Well, enjoy," I told him as I lifted my own piece. I normally wouldn't make this big of a meal back home, normally a soup or salad, but since it was a special occasion, I made a full meal for them.

"This food is very good indeed!" Laura stated. "Are you sure you did not receive any training in the matter?"

I shook my head. "I just followed the directions in my mom's cook book," I told her. Once the pizzas were gone, I collected the plates and set out a large dish of zeppoli, or fried dough balls. "These are very similar to doughnuts, but much better as they are homemade," I told them as I picked one up and ate it. They're probably my favorite dessert of all time, so I had to keep myself from eating them all as the rest of them devoured them. I took care of the plate once it was empty and we all began cleaning up, folding the picnic cloth, grabbing glasses, and picking up any dishes or silverware I missed.

"Let's go, guys," I told them as I walked down the stairs. They followed until we reached our room, where we flooded inside and I had them place everything on the counters of the kitchenette we have. "I'll take care of this," I told them, but Ichika moved me aside.

"You made us a great dinner, so we'll make it up to you by cleaning up," he explained as they began filling the sink with hot and soapy water before placing dishes in it. Laura cleaned, Ichika rinsed, Rin rinsed, Houki dried, and Charlotte stacked them perfectly.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" I asked Cecilia when I noticed her to the side.

She stepped forward. "I am doing something!" she declared. "I am supervising!"

"Yeah, sure," Rin muttered before she dragged Cecilia over to help rinse and dry. Laura was cleaning faster than they could do anything with the dishes.

"Wow, you sure are fast," I commented to Laura as she finished.

She nodded. "I was trained to be quick and precise in my actions, and that includes the cleaning," she explained.

"Cool," I replied as I sat on the edge of my bed. When they finished, I stepped forward and placed it all back in the cupboards, exactly as they were previously.

"Wow, you've got a good memory," Ichika observed. "I don't think I could ever get them that close to how they used to be."

"I like things to be as accurate as possible," I explained as I closed the cupboards and leaned against the counter. "So, what do you guys want to do now?"

Houki shrugged, but Cecilia stepped forward. "I, Cecilia Alcott, would like to challenge you to a match!" she declared.

"This late?" Rin asked. "Why?"

"I would like to personally test the capabilities of Luke's IS unit," she stated. "He made light work of a novice like Ichika, but will he be able to stand against a fellow Representative Contender such as me?"

I chuckled and stood up straight. "Let's go, then," I told her.

"I wouldn't, if I were you," Ichika told me. "She specializes in long-range weaponry. You'd never be able to get close to her."

I chuckled. "I'll be fine, don't worry," I assured him before we walked to the arena, where we summoned our armors.

"Bring up her specs," I told Falco's computer.

There was a light _beep_ in my ear before an image of her IS appeared. "Blue Tears, a long-range type," I whispered to myself as I checked her weapons. They used energy blasts, so I wouldn't be able to shoot them down as easily. "Activate tracking software," I commanded as she began firing at me. There was another _beep_ before I could see each and every shot she fired, so I summoned my sword and batted the attacks away, drawing my pistol as I opened fire. She managed to avoid my fire, though, so I boosted my tracking software, her figure surrounded by a red circle as I dismissed my weapons and my bow appeared. I took careful aim and fired several energy arrows at her, aiming far enough ahead of her that they would've all made contact if she didn't change direction. I fired enough arrows, though, to limit her movement enough to land a powerful hit, knocking her to the ground. It dealt enough damage to ground her, so I shot forward and went to work, dealing multiple powerful hits until she hit me point-blank with her missiles.

"You're not bad, I'll admit it," Cecilia stated as I hit the ground, bracing my legs for the impact. The shock absorbers dealt with it, and I stood up as I felt the pain before my lightning gauntlets took shape. I braced my legs and leaped at her, diving around her shots and landing a powerful hit to her autonomous lasers, knocking them out of commission.

"Whoa, he's taking out her advantages over him one at a time," Houki whispered. "Clever."

I stayed silent as I knocked Cecilia's feet out from beneath her and posed my fist an inch away from her face. "I have one last ace in the hole," I stated as two missiles became armed and appeared on either side of my fist, ready to go. She had one laser left, though, so she tried to shoot me. Instead, I fired the missiles. There was a second of silence as I dived away from her before they detonated, knocking out her shield energy and winning me the fight.

"Cecilia, are you okay?" Ichika called out as I dismissed Falco and helped her to her feet.

She nodded. "Yes, just a little sore from the explosion," she stated. "I must say, those rockets were very clever. They have a timed detonation with magnetic locks, correct?" she asked me.

I nodded. "Yeah. I made them so that they'd stick to the enemy but explode late enough for me to get away from the explosion," I explained as I helped her walk up to the others.

"Wow, I haven't seen you that well-beaten in a while," Rin commented.

Cecilia glared at her and walked straight up to her, despite how she was obviously sore. "I'm still good enough to beat _your_ scrawny hide into next week," she growled.

"Bring it on," Rin growled before Ichika and I stepped between them.

"Whoa, girls, calm down," we told them, separating them before they all ran to their rooms, leaving us standing there.

"Girls, you can never figure out what they're thinking," Ichika muttered as we slowly made our way back to our room.

"Very true," I replied before Ms. Orimura appeared in front of us.

"Mr. Santi, I understand that you have faced two people today in duels," she said.

I nodded. "That is correct, Ms. Orimura," I replied. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No, but you shouldn't push yourself that hard," she told me. "Elena Costa contacted me when you were enrolled and told me about how you hooked up the computer to your nervous system. That can put a lot of stress on your mind if you aren't careful. The human body can only stand so much."

I nodded. "Thank you, but I have calculated the exact limits my body can handle and placed a limiter on the chip to prevent it from going any further," I explained.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Is that so? Well, then, have a nice night," she stated before walking away suddenly. What she didn't know is that I can run an override any time I wish. The limiter would normally only let me use the Mental Download for a single book once an hour, but I had to override it numerous times to allow myself to download all of the information I would need. I had promised myself afterward, though, to never override again.

"Let's go, Ichika, I'm tired," I told him with a yawn as I continued to walk. He nodded and when we got to the room, took turns taking showers and I collapsed on the bed immediately afterwards, deeply asleep.

A few more days went by, and all was going pretty well, although I once woke up to a half-naked Laura sleeping with Ichika.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE AGAIN?" Ichika screamed, startling me awake. Surprised, I jumped up and immediately entered a fighting stance, only to open my eyes to Laura, who was sleepily opening her eyes.

"Ichika, is there something I should know?" I asked him, eyeing Laura warily.

He shook his head frantically. "Laura, what are you doing here?" he repeated.

She looked at him, confused. "Why would I not?" she replied. "You are my bride, after all."

"Her...bride?" I whispered, confused by her terminology. "Don't you mean-"

"She's been told otherwise," Ichika interrupted me before looking back at Laura. "Laura, I've already told you countless times you can't do this."

I nodded. "He's correct," I stated. "Plus, it's really weird."

She frowned. "If you do not like it, then leave," she told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "How about you leave? This isn't your room, after all," I told her as I sat down.

She shook her head as she stood up, causing me to look away suddenly. "How about you make me?" she asked me.

"Um, could you possible put some more clothes on first?" I asked her, so she pulled on some pants.

"Laura, how about you return to your room?" Ichika asked her. "Charlotte's probably wondering where you are."

She was about to shrug when the door flew open and Houki charged in, sword in hand. "ICHIKA!" she screamed when she saw Laura. "WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE?"

Ichika froze. "I...I...it's not my fau-OH MY GOD DON'T KILL ME!" he screamed as Houki swung her sword at his head, although Laura used a partial deployment to stop her.

"I shall not allow you to hurt my bride," Laura stated.

"Okay, girls calm down," I told them as I laid out my clothes for the day. "Now, can you go so that we can get dressed?" I asked them as calmly as possible.

Houki and Laura both glared at me, but we managed to get them out so that we could get ready for the day, which continued like normal.

The days continued to go by until two weeks had passed since I first arrived, when a familiar face arrived at the Academy.

* * *

 **Hello again, readers! It is I, dicarten-ice, with another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you're looking for more, better stories, check out Erosdeath's latest story, in which Luca himself appears. He's a great writer with a lot of potential.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Infinite Stratos or any of its characters, only my own.**


End file.
